"isn't it just so sad to think of her packing up all of her Chanel into designer suitcases?"--Darian Tibbits

Well, for Sarko it was a no go.

 Darian and i headed down towards Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysée to take in the charged climate in that part of Paris. Place de la Concorde is not only the entrance to the Louvre, the location of the  Egyptian obelisk, and the site where tens of thousands had it in for them by the guillotine (including Louis 16e and Marie Antoinette), but it is also adjacent to the Elysée Palace, home of the Président de la Répulique. Darian and i came upon a group of t.v. reporters outside of le Palais, and we hunkered down to try to catch a glimpse of someone important in the government (or, let's be honest. we just wanted to see Carla Bruni). We waited outside of the palace for a good hour while they opened the gates for some important car to come out. But, then the gates closed and police told us to go away. Sigh. It was exciting all the same.

I also took the time to walk around the Montparnasse area and les jardins de Luxembourg. In the center of Montparnasse there is a hideous tower that really obstructs the beautiful skyline of the city. So, I wasn't super excited to see that part of town. However, once I walked around a bit, I was pleasantly surprised. I saw many people my age walking around and found some really great thai and indian restaurants that weren't trop cher! It's been almost impossible for me to find food other than bread, cheese, and pastries so anywhere that has other things feels like arriving at Mecca. After walking around a bit, I went to the gardens for a few hours to read some Hemingway. The gardens in France feel so French. I could come to Paris and just sit in the gardens and feel perfectly contented. Today I also wandered until I came upon the Sorbonne. Such a beautiful school. The architecture around that area looks so ancient, dating back to the middle ages. It's a whole other layer of Paris and I still have so many to discover. i also was able to peep inside the Musee National du Moyen Age and the Pantheon. Because we don't have anything comparable in the states, I really enjoyed this museum. There was a class on a field trip that i followed around the museum. They had them most adorable comments like "well, he was a knight so he must've been very brave" or "why didn't the good knight just hit the bad knight in the head?" The Pantheon was very inspiring. I saw the graves of many famous people, including Victor Hugo. But my favorite part was a memorial to all of the soldiers m.i.a. from the first and second world wars. Very moving.

With a few more hours to spare, I made my way into Notre Dame for the first time. Very impressive and very crowded. i think i'll stick to the other less visited cathedrals. However, the roof from the top was worth every one of the 387 steps.

Notre Dame et La Palais